The Risk is Worth it
by Saab08
Summary: Fang is used to moving around towns and schools, and this time, he ends up in a high school where he meets Iggy and his friends, and learns about the mysterious Max. Iggy warns him, but he can't help but play with fire. Fax - Eggy. AU, no wings.
1. Chapter 1: Fresh Meat

Chapter 1

"Fang, come down here!"

I looked up from my computer at the sound of my mother's voice. I was surprised to say the least. My mother didn't usually raise her voice, and when she did it was only when she was deeply stressed or found herself in deep anxiety. Tentatively, I slowly made my way downstairs, towards the living room where I found my mum and my dad, sitting next to each other on one of the plush white couches that adorned the wide room. My mum smiled at me, a strained smile that I couldn't help but notice was accompanied by sad eyes, and motioned towards the neighboring couch. I sat down, suspicious of the news they were undoubtedly going to announce.

"Fang," my mum repeated, "Your father has great news for us." As she said those words, she looked up at him beaming, all trace of sadness that had previously etched her face long gone, and took his hand in hers.

Father looked at Mum, smiling, before turning towards me, "We're moving!"

I gasped.

I felt my brain swimming inside my head.

"Where to?" I managed to choke. Why now? Why now, when I'd finally settled in so well?

"Fang, we understand that you're sad. You've done so well here! Heck, you've even made friends," dad smiled, completely ignoring my question.

"Where to?" I repeated. I'll have to start from scratch. Once again. Don't they realize how hard it is for me? Every new house, every new school.

"Chicago. I'm sure you'll love it there!"

I hated it. I hated it when they did this. When they pretended like nothing was wrong. When they didn't take me into account.

I took a glance at my mum, and when I saw the way her eyes were begging at me, I mustered a ghost of a smile.

"Sure dad. I'm sure I will," I stood, sent a quick questioning look at my mother, and left the room.

* * *

I put my key in the ignition of my red beaten up truck and drove out of the front drive of the house. _My_ house. Gosh, every time. It always took such a long time to get used to it. New places. New people. New names.

I checked the name of the roads as I made the way to _my_ new high school, Lake View High. I had driven around the area the day after I arrived, a habit I had developed when arriving to a new place.

After a few minutes, I was making way into the school parking lot. Judging by the stillness of it, I was late. I quickly parked the truck and made way into the unknown school.

You'd think I would be used to it by now, but no. The corridors that all looked so similar yet were so different, having to learn a whole new schedule every time. To be honest, I've stopped bothering. I walked around the hallways in confusion, when I bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

I moved back and looked at my victim; it was a guy about the same height as I was, but that was where the similarities ended. He was singularly pale, with ice blue eyes and strawberry blond hair and he was sporting a grin.

"Fresh meat?'

"Yeah, came here from Santa Fe."

He outstretched his hand at me and I took it.

"My name's Iggy."

"Fang."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I've never met someone that had a name that was anywhere close being as weird as mine."

I grinned before handing him my schedule, "Nice to meet you Iggy. Could you please show me the way to Calculus?"

He looked at the piece of paper I had handed him before giving it back to me.

"Come on," he motioned towards the other end of the hallway, "My schedule is basically the same as yours."

* * *

"So Fang. Iggy told me you were from Santa Fe?" a girl asked from the other end of the lunch table. I didn't remember her name. Elise? Elena?

I simply nodded, not bothered to tell her that no, I wasn't from Santa Fe, and that I had simply lived there for about a year, which was a record for my dad.

"Don't bother Ella," Iggy interjected next to me, "I've spent about 3 hours with this dude and even I know that there's no point in trying to strike a conversation with him. He'll talk when he'll want to talk."

Iggy was a great guy; he'd shown me around school, and had introduced me to all of his friends, Ella, Nudge and Gazzy, and they all seemed like a cool bunch so far.

I was taking a sip from my glass of water when I noticed a tall muscly jock and a cheerleader enter the cafeteria. I couldn't help but notice them, and the whole of the cafeteria couldn't help but notice them.

"Who are they?" I asked Iggy, watching them as they made way towards the lunch queue.

"Angel Martinez and Dylan Jones, head cheerleader and quarterback. They're the golden couple. The kind that wins homecoming queen and king every year. The kind that everybody admires for no reason whatsoever except for the fact that they are more attractive than the average human. The kind that every school has."

I nodded and followed them round the cafeteria and as the sat down at a table with numerous other jocks and cheerleaders.

I watched the Angel sit down, and I couldn't help but see her sending a look of disgust towards a table discarded at the other end of the room.

I shifted my attention towards the table, and noticed a girl sitting there eating her lunch. I was used to seeing the school loners. Heck, I was even used at being one. But she wasn't like all the other loners I'd seen, all hunched up over their lunch tray.

She had an air of confidence about her, an arm slung over the back of the empty chair next to her. And she was stunning. She had beautiful brown hair streaked with natural blond highlights, and breathtaking pink heart-shaped lips and-

"Yo Fang, snap out of it," Iggy snapped his fingers at me.

In response I simply nodded towards the girl, "And who's that?"

Iggy chuckled, "That's Max Martinez, Angel's twin. She's the complete opposite of her sister, and doesn't give two shits about what people think about her," He glance at me before adding, "and completely inaccessible."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I see the way that you're looking at her, and I know she's a hot piece of ass, but if you keep staring at her, or if you even dare speak to her, she'll just bite your head off. Don't even think about it." A massive grin was plastered on his pale face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled, embarrassed, as I watched her get up and strut out of the cafeteria, unable to stop my eyes from moving downwards as she walked away.

**A/N: I hope you like it? this is my first maximum ride fanfiction, and I'm scared that its slightly OOC? please review if you liked it (or if you hated it) and if you have any recommendations. ~S :) **


	2. Chapter 2: Independent Projects

Chapter 2 

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

I shut my locker closed and walked towards Biology. This was the only class I didn't share with Iggy, but he had given me the directions to Lab 3. i walked into the classroom and gave my slip to the teacher, Mr. Evans. He simply nodded and told me to take a seat. I looked around and watched as people slowly placed themselves at the desks- friends pairing up with friends. This would be fine for any normal teenager, but I didn't have any friends. I took a seat at the only free lab desk and accepted that I would be partnerless for the rest of the year.

Mr. Evans was halfway through explaining osmosis when the door opened with a crash. The whole class looked at the person responsible, who was none other than Max Martinez. She was grinning as she closed the door behind her.

"Sorry Mr. Evans. I got caught up with something," She announced as she walked by his desk.

Mr. Evans just sighed, and it made me wonder if he was used to such antics from her, "That's all right Miss Martinez. Please take a seat."

There was a silence as everybody turned towards me, noticing that the only spare seat was next to me, at the lab desk I had chosen. It was already clear that Max Martinez was going to be stuck with me for the rest of the school year. When noticing what was awaiting her, she frowned and made way to my desk. She sat herself down loudly, dropping her rucksack on the table. She looked me up and down, obviously trying to be intimidating. I simply stared back. She was scary, and hot, but I wasn't a weakling.

"I'm Max."

"I know," I shrugged, "I'm Fang."

She grinned at my name, "Fang?"

I shrugged once again, "My real name is Nick."

"So why the nickname?" She questioned.

I looked at her and shrugged, before turning my attention back to the teacher. I heard her chuckle besides me.

For the rest of the lesson, I couldn't help but be completely aware of her presence next to me. I don't what it was, this attraction, this pull- it was something I couldn't help. I wanted to just look at her, take her in, tuck that stray lock of hair behind her ear- but I couldn't. Iggy had warned me for a reason. And I didn't want to give this girl a reason to be angry at me, especially if she was going to sit next to me for one hour for every day for the rest of the year. So as the bell rang, my relief was understandable. I picked up my books and my rucksack, and with a nod in Max's direction, made my way back to my locker.

When I made my way back to my locker I found Iggy leaning against it, fiddling with one of the straps of his backpack.

"How was Bio?"

"Guess who's my lab partner?" I grinned.

"Who?" Iggy instantaneously gave up.

"Max Martinez," I said, as I put in the combination and opened my locker. I placed my books back, and closed it, only to find Iggy with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "What?"

"You're going to be in for a treat," taking in my questioning glance, he continued, "Mr. Evans is renowned for the independent projects he sets his seniors. The project is worth about sixty percent of your final grade. So you know what that means?"

I shook my hand, wondering what he was getting at.

"One on one studying. With the one and only Max Martinez. And don't try pulling weird shit, she won't stand for it. She may have a "I don't give a shit" attitude, but she has one of the best GPAs in the senior year."

I was about to answer when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID before looking back up at me

"It's my mum. Probably wants me at home for God knows what. But hey, good luck with that project man."

He gave me a pat on the back before walking away, leaving me with a mixture of emotions, ranging from hope and weariness.

* * *

"Mum, I'm home," I shouted, closing the house door behind me.

"I'm in the kitchen," she called back.

I walked over to where she was, following the smell of dinner, which was making my mouth water. I sat down at the table and watched as my mum was hurrying around the kitchen perfecting the already perfect meal.

"Dad's coming 'round for dinner?" I asked, trying to mask the bitterness in my voice. He rarely made it home for dinner, and my mum usually left him a plate of whatever we had eaten on the table for when he came home. But I knew that when she acted all tense at dinnertime, it was certainly not for my sake.

"Yes. He just called," she replied as she stirred around some red sauce in a saucepan.

I hated how my mum got so jumpy when my dad was around. She was always walking on eggshells, making sure that everything was alright, that everything was perfect. I kept wanting to scream in frustration at both of them and at their unhealthy relationship. Of course my dad had no idea in what way he was affecting mum. Hell, he wouldn't notice if it were staring him in the face, which it is.

I was helping her set up the table when we heard the key turn in the lock. My mum instantly took off her apron and brushed the palm of her hand across the front of her dress in effort to smooth out the non-existent creases.

"Hello!" My dad said as he walked in, placing his briefcase by the door, before walking up to my mum and kissing her on the cheek, "How's my favorite wife?"

She hadn't even replied when he sat down at the dinner table and turned to me, "And how's my son? How was school?"

"The usual," I mumbled.

He simply nodded at my response and turned back to my mum and started talking to her about his day. My dad is an accountant. I knew my mum well enough that she didn't feel like hearing about how his day went, but of course, being the perfect wife, she put on her facade and smiled and nodded at all the right places.

**A/N: wow thanks for the overwhelming response :D As in regards to how often i update, I just update in function of how much i feel like writing and how busy I am, but I will generally try to write one chapter a week. This of course can be altered eg. if i get a lot of nice reviews i might just upload the next day idk ;) Also i dont know if I should introduce Max's point of view? ~ S**


	3. Chapter 3: The start of something new

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Fang

As the days passed by, I realized to what extent I would be excited about Biology- not because of the course or the teacher- but because of Max.

Max Martinez.

She fascinated me. She captivated me. She wasn't like ay girl that I'd met before; she was independent, strong and intelligent. Sure she tried to hide it, tried to seem as if she couldn't care less about school and getting good grades, but I could see that she discretely paid attention in class. I could also see that she knew all of the answers, writing them down instead of raising her hand and announcing the correct response to the class. I like that about her. I liked _her._

* * *

She banged her rucksack onto the desk, a habit I had grown accustomed to. She sat herself down, and already leaning against the table behind her, balancing on the stool. Another habit I'd grown accustomed to. She was growing on me. Like ivy grows on a stone wall. But I didn't mind it- I wanted to know more about her, I wanted to know all about her little habits. I didn't realize that I was studying her until she stared staring right at me. I was trying to fight off a grin, and I could see that so was she. In all honesty, I was simply enjoying her beautiful brown eyes.

Unfortunately, the Mr. Evans decided that this would be a perfect time to come marching into the classroom.

"All right class," he announced, taking a stack of papers out of his briefcase, "I'm sure you must all know by now that every year, my seniors have to set up their own independent project with their lab partner," he blatantly ignored a few groans that were emitted by my classmates, "I have here a booklet that contains everything that I expect from you in this project, and what direction this project should take." He walked around the classroom and handed out the booklets.

As he passed by our desk and gave us each a booklet, Max turned to me, her voice one of steel.

"If we're going to be forced to do this project together, I'm going to have to let you know that I won't tolerate any slacking from your part. I'm certainly not going to do all of the work and I need an A."

I shrugged, making her understand that I agreed to her conditions. She rolled her eyes at my lack of communication and continued, "I'm free everyday after school apart from Tuesdays and Fridays."

I nodded, "I'm free everyday except for Friday."

She nodded back, "Great. So what do you think we should base our project on?" and started jotting down some initial ideas on a piece of paper. I couldn't help but stare in wonder; this girl that seemed so careless, was now writing away, and had a determination in her that I had not seen until now. I didn't think she could be any more perfect, but she just proved me wrong.

* * *

By the end of the lesson, we had agreed to do our project on the diffusion in cell membranes. As we left the room, just before walking away in the opposite direction, Max turned to me, with a small smile painted on her lips.

"So I'll see you at your place tonight," and before I could say anything, she was already walking down the corridor, her hips swaying back and forth.

With a stupid smirk plastered on my face, I walked back to my locker, where Iggy was waiting for me, as per usual. He looked up from his phone as I approached and took in my expression. His face took one of mock horror.

"What is that I see? Fang showing any sort of emotion?" I was too happy to care and I didn't say anything and just elbowed him out of the way to gain access to my locker.

"So I guess you have your first project "date" with Max huh?" He teased.

I tried to put on a cool facade, "Yeah, she's coming over to my house later."

* * *

Max

I put on my jacket, and was about to leave my room, when suddenly I backtracked and took the tube of lipgloss that was sitting atop my desk, and applied it on my lips.

_What are you doing? _

In horror I quickly wiped it off on the sleeve of my jacket. What was I doing? I haven't done such an effort since... since him. I shook my head and walked back out. I tried to ignore the incessant nagging in the back of my head that kept repeating _Fang, you did it because you want him to notice you_.

_Yeah right._

I walked down the stairs and walked up to the front door, and shouted a goodbye aimed at whoever was present in this quiet house. I sat on my motorbike and stormed into the dark night, towards his house.

When he opened the door, his hair all tousled and wet from the shower he must've just had, I couldn't help but notice how _good_ he looked. With his dark features and olive skin, he was once handsome guy. I think I must've been staring at him for a bit to long when a grin appeared on his face, and he moved out of the doorway, and motioned at me to come in. That was one of the things I appreciated about him; he didn't talk much, only when necessary. i didn't like it when people would babble on aimlessly, even if it was a thing I tended to do when I was nervous. I followed him into his living room.

"Who is it Fang?" A female voice asked from the kitchen, which I presumed was his mother's.

"Max. We're paired up for a project in Bio," he answered. I heard footsteps approaching behind me, and turned around only to find a woman, a bit shorter than me with Fang's dark coloring and his thick black hair. She was drying a plate with a towel, and she took them both in one hand whilst outstretching the other one for me to shake.

"Nice to meet you Max, I'm Valeria, Fang's mom," I shook her hand. She was stunning. She turned to Fang, "Your Dad's coming home in about two hours. Will you be done by then?"

Fang just nodded and I couldn't help but notice the frown that had appeared at the mention of his dad. He looked at me, "Come on, let's go up to my room."

**A/N: lalalala thank you for the reviews! xx I introduced Max's pov (in case you hadnt noticed ok) Also, I'm making up this story as I'm going along, so if there's anything you want me to include or if you want something to a part of the plot line do tell! ~ S**


	4. Chapter 4: Hidden Words

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Fang

I closed my bedroom door behind me, watching as Max sat on my bed. A comfortable silence settled between the two of us as we took out our books and our research material and we set off to work. We didn't say much; we had shared the work in class and had decided that we should each research one aspect and then combine the two and work out what experiments we should do from that. It suited me just fine, sitting here, browsing on my laptop, next to her. Next to Max. We were sitting quite closely, looking over each others work from time to time. I could feel her warmth besides me, and I felt myself sit closer besides her- or was it her? I didn't know; all that I knew was that I know, our shoulders were touching and our feet kept colliding into each, causing Max to catch my glance or me to catch hers. And every time we both looked away, Max with a little smile painted on her rosy lips.

I knew I would not be able to bear this for any longer. This: the proximity, the closeness, how she felt near me, they way she smelt so _good_. I just wanted to cup her delicate cheek and kiss her senseless. And the way those tight jeans fit her perfectly did certainly not help. Half an hour passed by. An Hour. An hour and a half. Every minute my hand was gripping the pen tighter as I copied down the notes from my computer screen.

I stood up, nearly throwing my notepad and my pen on the floor as I did so. I ran my fingers through my hair, even though I knew fully well that it would only mess it up any more. But right now I could not care less; all I could care about was Max. And I didn't want her to know. God knows what she would do to me if I just grabbed her and kissed her. Who did that anyways?

"What's wrong?" I heard her ask. I turned to her and daw with surprise that she seemed just as flushed as I was. I simply shook my head, knowing that if I spoke I would simply stumble over my words. Trying to make it seem as if nothing were wrong, I made way to my window.

"It's just a bit hot in here. Do you mind if I open the window?" Without waiting for her response, I opened the window as full as possible, enjoying the breeze as it flowed in and cooled my burning face; I nearly let out a sigh of relief right there and then.

Of course, at that moment, I noticed a car parking in the driveway. My father's car. My sigh turned into one of despair. I turned back to Max.

"I'm sorry, my dad is home earlier than expected," I walked back to my bed and started tidying my room up: I knew that if I did not my dad would make a comment about it, and I didn't feel like getting into trouble tonight. I noticed Max's watchful glare as I cleared all of my things and put them neatly on my desk.

"I hadn't pinned you down as a neat freak," she commented.

I didn't answer.

"Why are you afraid of your dad?" I instantly stopped moving.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled angrily, walking once again. I wasn't _scared_ of him. I was aware of his presence, not in the mood for trouble. My father made me angry, he frustrated me, but he had never made me scared.

"So why is it that every time your father is mentioning there's that frown that appears on your forehead?" she asked. I subconsciously moved my hand to my forehead, and true where her words- I could feel the frown etched in my skin. I ran my fingers once again through my hair. I knew it was something I did when I was nervous, and I was pretty sure that Max had noticed too.

"I hadn't realised," I replied lamely.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to find Max facing me. Her eyes were open, and honest, and just oh so _breathtaking. _I couldn't help but stare back into her brown eyes that just offered me hope. Never had I seen her this way: so overt and unconcealed. It was something new, another memory that was forming in my head, another thing that I wanted to remember about her. She was so intricate, with so many hidden facades, and every time I spent more time with her, the more I learnt about her, and every time a new facade was revealed.

"I know what it feels like," She murmured, still staring at me.

I couldn't move; her stare was keeping me fixed. It had me immobilized.

"What do you mean?" was all I could muster.

"To feel like you have to be perfect, like everything has to be perfect, or someone will just come and tell you all the things you've done wrong, and not even consider what you've actually done, all of your effort, all of your hard work, the fact that you had them in consideration. How it feels like when people have just stopped thinking about what you want, what you need. I know what it feels like," and with that she reached up to cup my cheek.

It felt strange, but right at the same time. The warmth of her soft hand radiated onto my skin, but that warmth was soon replaced by cold as she moved backwards and grabbed your rucksack and made her way to the door.

"Are you free this Saturday?" I couldn't help but ask. I knew what Iggy had said. I was braced for the disappointment. But I had to ask.

She turned to look at me with a grin on her face.

"Don't push your luck Fangy boy."

And with that, she was gone.

**A/N: AAAND ANOTHER CHAPTER. gosh. I shouldn't let you guys get used to this. sooo... a bit of angst and a teeny weensy bit of Fax. I hope you liked it and please review! x ~S **


	5. Chapter 5: Fleeting moments

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Fang

I glanced at my window and saw Max walk down the road before walking out of my room and down the stairs. I wanted to stay in my room, but I knew that if I were to stay there my father would give my mum a hard time about how she raised a son that has no respect whatsoever towards his father and doesn't even say hello to him when he comes home. My mum was already having hard enough of a time without me contributing to it, so I forced myself to walk downstairs towards the kitchen. As I'd suspected, he was sitting there, setting his napkin on his lap whilst my mum was placing his meal in front of him.

"Hi dad," I mumbled as I came in, seating myself at the table opposite him.

"Hi Fang. How's my favorite son?" He always asked that. What did he want me to say?

I just shrugged. As always.

"Who was that girl?" He continued, cutting the steak that was taking over most of the plate. My mum always gave him the bigger piece. I didn't mind, but it was always that way: he always needed bigger, better. And my mum always complied.

"Max. We're working on a Biology project together," I replied, watching as my mother bustled around the kitchen, cleaning and washing. I was itching to stand up and help her, but I knew that if I did so, my dad would simply demand me to sit back down and let my mum do all the work. "This is how it works Fang," he had once told me, "The woman does everything while the man rests." His view hasn't changed since, and I didn't dare argue back even though I knew that he was spouting utter rubbish.

"She's quite the stunner. How old is she?"

Of course he would ask that. He liked making my mum feel like shit. And he went out of his way to do so. It obviously worked, because my mum immediately tensed as she dried the cutlery, now paying attention to the conversation.

"Eighteen," I said through my teeth. I felt the anger rushing through me.

He must've noticed because he immediately said "Whoa there Fang. I was just joking. You know that I love your mum more than anything."

With that he motioned at my mum for her to come to him and so she obliged. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and looked at her with a sickening expression. My mum instantly relaxed and smiled back at him. She adored him. I love my mum, but sometimes I wonder why she stupidly stays with him. He's clearly hurting her. He's not healthy for her.

She must know that it's only going to get worse. And worse.

* * *

The next day, instead of going to lab 3 for Biology, Max and I had agreed to work in the school library. Mr. Evans had made it clear that he didn't mind where we were during his Biology lessons, as long as we where within the school premises and that we were working for our project.

I walked into the library and saw Max browsing on one of the library computer. I sat myself down in front of the monitor besides hers, and took all the notes and research we'd done out of my backpack and layed it in the space between our two computers.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hey," She greeted back, not glancing up from the computer screen.

Once again, we slipped into our work silently. Once again we would check on each others work as time ticked by. And once again, the proximity between us was unbearable. Not only were our shoulders so close that I could feel her warmth, but she was also wearing shorts. Shorts that showcased her long toned legs perfectly.

I tried to focus intently on the work in front of me, and forced myself to get on with my research, but I couldn't stop myself from glancing at her. Constantly.

When the bell rang I don't think I've ever been so happy for a class to end, especially one with Max. But right now, if I didn't leave, I would do something that would get me in trouble.

"So I'll see you at your house then," I mimicked her. After yesterday, I wanted her to come over as rarely as possible.

"Sure," she nodded, "As long as you arrive after 5:30."

I smiled tightly and nodded, before slinging my backpack over one shoulder and walking out.

I really did not know how I was going to survive this much longer.

Not at this rate.

* * *

Max

I told him to come a 5:30 because I knew everybody would be gone by then. Angel had cheerleading practice until 7:00, and mum and dad were away for the next two days, God knows where. I dumped my backpack on the floor of my room, and crashed onto my bed.

I stayed like this for a good ten minutes, relishing in the peaceful silence that reigned in this home that was usually so loud, so tense. Where arguments constantly break out. Right now, the silence was welcome. I smiled into my bed sheets, enjoying this fleeting feeling.

* * *

Fang

I knocked onto her front door. I'd found her address in the student handbook, and I'd presumed that that's where she got mine. There was comfortable silence that could be felt.

The door opened, revealing Max, dressed in a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a tight t-shirt. I internally groaned- it fit her perfectly, showcasing all of her beautiful natural curves.

"Hey," She smiled.

"Hey," I returned.

I followed her to her room. I was surprised as I entered it; it was very unlike what I'd imagined it to be. Instead of it being all reckless and what you would imagine the typical room of a rebellious teenager to look like, it was very pristine. The walls where painted white, the bed sheets where white, everything was perfectly organized, and not a single picture adorned the walls.

I knew that I shouldn't sit besides her. But I did. We both sat on the bed and as per usual unpacked all of our research and started working.

This was getting quite repetitious. First- The comfortable silence would reign over us. Second- I would suddenly become aware of her close proximity. Third- the room seemed to get particularly hot. Unbearably hot.

After one hour of work, Max slammed her laptop shut and turned to me. I couldn't help but notice that a similar flush that I felt on my cheeks adorned hers.

"Come on let's have supper," she took me by the arm and dragged me downstairs.

Once we where in the kitchen, she made me sit down and got out two plates.

"You ok with sandwiches?" She asked. I nodded and stood up again to help her.

Five minutes later we were sitting at the kitchen table, eating our sandwiches and discussing our project when I noticed that a crumb had made its way right next to her pink lips.

"You have something there," I motioned in the general direction of the crumb.

I watched as she tried to reach it with her tongue, and I couldn't help but let a grin slip.

"No," I said, "Over here," and then I reached out and cupped her face. I couldn't help but stare into her brown eyes as I brushed the crumb away with my thumb. And I couldn't help but lean closer, her cheek still touching my hand. I couldn't help but lean closer until i could feel her breathing caress my chin. And when I saw that she wasn't doing anything to stop me, I couldn't help but lean even closer and-

"Max, I'm home!"

The shrill voice resonated through the house, making us jump apart. As I could hear footsteps walking towards us, I watched as Max sat up straighter, a light blush tainting her cheeks.

"And who is this?" The shrill voice asked, much closer this time. I turned to see Angel, Max's sister. Max sighed and introduced us.

"Fang, this is my sister, and Angel this is Fang. We're working on a project together."

I watched as a smirk formed on Angel's face and as a frown formed on Max's.

"You're new, aren't you?" She asked. Her voice was shrill and high, and it annoyed me to no end. Max's was a bit deeper, and smooth, and velvety, and it made me want to savour every single word that came out of her mouth. Her twin on the other hand, made me want to cover my ears. I nodded.

"He doesn't talk much," Max explained, sending me a small grin, "Anyways, we were just having dinner. He was about to leave," and just like that, she stood up and left the kitchen, and I, shrugging my shoulders at Angel, followed her out.

Once upstairs, I packed my backpack, and walked out of her room.

"Bye," I called.

"Bye!"

**A/N: another chapter woo :)) thank you so much for all the positive reviews and for all the follows and favorites! I hope you didn't mind the slight cheesyness of this chapter and that you enjoyed it! Please review! ~ S**


	6. Chapter 6: Revelations and Realisations

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Fang

I was walking down the hallway with Iggy and Ella. I watched them as they talked, as Ella laughed at something Iggy said. Everybody knew that Ella held a flame for Iggy- he was just too blind to notice. According to Nudge, she's been pining after him since sophomore year. I shook my head, grinning to myself, and I watched as Ella waved at Iggy as she walked down the corridor towards art.

"Wanna hang out tonight?" Iggy asked me after he had turned away from looking at Ella. I'm pretty sure he was as whipped as she was, only that he hadn't yet realized it.

I shook my head, "No, sorry man. I've got to study with Max."

His signature mischievous grin appeared, "How's it been going with the infamous Martinez?"

I just shrugged, a small smile playing on my lips. We hadn't talked about the near kiss since the night it happened. The day after, when we met for bio, we both acted as if nothing had happened. But I still had to endure my daily torture of having to spend every day with Max Martinez. I looked at Iggy.

"Why is she so different from Angel?"

He smirked at me; he'd obviously been dying to tell me whatever story laid behind their differences, "Man, you know how long I've been waiting for that question? Why? Did you finally meet the evil twin?"

I nodded, with a slight grimace "Yeah. The other day at Max's house."

It was Iggy's turn to nod as he took in my expression, "Yeah I know. She's a right pain in the ass. Did you know that that used to be Max? Well I mean without the pain in the ass bit. She was queen bee and head cheerleader and dating the perfect guy and everything until the summer before Junior year. When she came back to school, she had quit the cheerleading squad and had broken up with her boyfriend and started sporting the "fuck all" attitude. And then Angel sweeped in and took over everything her sister had given up on, with a shitty personality to boot."

I was shocked to say the least: I couldn't imagine Max faking smiles and being all "preppy cheerleader".

"What happened?" I asked, the curiosity unbearable.

"Who knows man?" He shrugged.

I gasped, "You mean no one knows?"

"Well yeah I mean there are rumors and shit but you'd be dumb to believe them. If anyone were to find out, I'd bet on you." He must've noticed my bemused expression before explaining, "Max hasn't been close to anyone since that summer. Now that you've got this project, you're probably the only person Max would ever tell what happened."

I frowned, not expecting such an explanation. I knew how she must've felt: not having anybody close to you- trust me it sucks. It only made me admire her even more for her courage and for holding her head high for all this time, because I know from experience how hard it is to make it seem as if nothing affects you.

* * *

Max

I shut the front door behind me loudly, indicating to anyone present that I was home. I made a detour to the kitchen to get a snack before going up to my room and getting a start on my homework before Fang arrived.

_Fang._

I didn't know how I felt about him. Every time I was around him, my senses seemed acutely aware of his presence. And then in the kitchen when he was about to kiss me... why didn't I stop him? I promised myself that I wouldn't get into anything after what happened with _him_. If Angel hadn't burst in, I would've let him, I would've let him gain control. I knew it. And it scared me.

I grabbed a bag of crisps before walking up the stairs. I walked by Angel's room, the door wide open. I gasped and stopped in my tracks as I saw Angel and Dylan making out- _heavily_. His hand was up her shirt and the other one cupping her butt. Angel was facing the opposite direction, but Dylan could see me. And he did. He looked at me and smirked. He kept staring at me as he started slowly kissing her neck.

I could feel the tears forming in my eyes, and quickly shut the door before running up to my room. The tears were now flowing freely down my face as I grabbed my running kit and pulled it on. I shoved my earbuds into my ears and pressed the play button, closing my eyes as the steady smooth beat pulsed into my brain, calming me down. I ran back downstairs, out of the door, on the street. I ran. I ran, all the memories rushing back , the tears still streaming down.

_Well what did you expect Max? That you were going to be popular forever?_

I shook my head and ran faster, my feet pounding onto the wet sidewalk as raindrops started falling from the sky. Memories. Images.

_Well it was bound to happen Max. Did you seriously think I was going to stay with you forever?_

My thighs were burning, but I kept going, getting soaked under the rain. Kept running. Kept running away.

* * *

Fang

I knocked on Max's door, my mind still racing from what Iggy had told me just a few hours ago. I looked up as the door opened, revealing Angel. When she saw who it was, she leaned against the door, arching her back, a coy smile on her lipgloss covered lips. She had a good body, there was no denying it, but she was nothing compared to Max. Max didn't know how sexy she was, how beautiful she was. And that just made her so much more attractive.

"Hey," She said, her tone of voice very suggestive.

"Hey. Can I come in? I'm here to see Max?" I noticed a flash of annoyance on her face, but it disappeared almost instantaneously, and her smirk reappeared as if it had never left.

"I'm sorry, she just left for a run. Oops, guess she forgot. But you can still come in," she winked at me.

I stared at her, eyebrows raised, unimpressed, "Yeah no, I think I'm fine. Though could you please give her this." I opened my backpack and ripped a piece of paper from one of my notepads and grabbed a pen. I quickly wrote down my number before giving it to her, "Thanks."

And I walked away without a backwards glance.

I couldn't help the wave of disappointment wash over me.

* * *

Max

When I came home, mum and dad were there. I kissed them both on the cheek, not wanting to cause any arguments tonight.

"Did anyone pass by?" I asked. I'd realized halfway through my run that I'd completely ditched Fang. The guilt forced me to run back home, even though I knew that if he'd come by, he would already be gone.

My mum looked at my dad, who simply shook his head. She turned to me, "No sorry."

I shrugged and stalked back up to my room, falling onto my bed, exhausted.

It felt pretty bad, feeling rejected.

You'd think I'd be used to it by know.

**A/N: Another chapter (a bit angsty- but I thought I should balance it after the previous one) :))) I thought that I had made it clear but Angel is Max's twin and is therefore the same age as her (18). I hope you liked it and please review! ~ S**


	7. Chapter 7: Unwind

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Max

I was in a bad mood. I was in a bad mood because my mum kept nagging me about university this morning. I was in a bad mood because Angel was making out with Dylan, and I just wish that she would realize that he's a jerk. And I was in a bad mood because of Fang. I mean, I knew that I'd forgotten him as well, but he didn't even bother to show up.

And I thought that he liked me.

* * *

Fang

I was waiting for Max in the library when she appeared besides me. I was about to ask her what had happened yesterday, when she turned and sent me the darkest glare. I frowned. What had I done? If anything, I should be pissed at her: she's the one that ditched me last night. Sighing loud enough for her to hear and I set myself to work.

* * *

At the end of the lesson, she started to pack up hurriedly. I put my hand on her arm in effort to slow her down, but she simply snatched it away and glared at me.

I frowned, "Max, what's wrong?"

She swung her backpack onto her back and rolled her eyes, "Oh I wonder?" Seeing my bemused expression, she scoffed, "Don't play dumb. You didn't even bother showing up yesterday!" And with that she stormed off.

Even more confused, I grabbed my backpack and ran after her, "What the hell? I showed up and you weren't even there!"

She stopped and turned, now facing me. I could feel the anger seeping from her, "Please Fang, keep your bullshit excuses to yourself." And she was gone before I could even do anything.

I stood in the hallway, my head spinning in puzzlement. I did show up last night. Angel had told me that she wasn't there- _Angel_.

Now it was my turn to be furious. I stalked towards the gym, where the cheerleaders practiced.

As predicted, when I entered the gym, there they were doing some upbeat cheer that made my ears bleed. And right in the middle was Angel. She noticed me as soon as I walked in and a huge grin appeared on her face.

"Hey Fang. Come to admire the view?"

I ignored her question and took her by the arm, "Angel, could I talk with you for a sec?"

She gave a glance at her teammates, who giggled and turned back to me, "Sure, we can _talk_."

I took her outside into the hallway.

"Why didn't you tell Max that I showed up yesterday?" I asked. Blunt. Straight to the point.

Instantly, Angel's mood darkened, "What do I look like, Max's slave? Besides, she didn't ask."

I sighed in frustration. Who did this girl think she was? "You could've left the number on her desk. Now thanks to you she's angry with me!"

Angel glared at me, looking scarily similar to Max, "Look, your little relationship problems with my sister are none of my concern. No I have a practice to get back to."

She left, leaving me faced with a problem that I was going to have to solve. And it was going to take some guts.

* * *

Fang

I decided that the only way I was going to be able to solve this was by making the first move. One of the first things that i learnt about Max was that she was as stubborn as a mule, so there was no way she was going to be the first one to act. I parked in her drive, and got out in the pouring rain and walked up to her door. I knocked.

Seconds later, the door was opened by none other than Max herself. Her eyes widened in shock, "What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same about you," I knew she'd told me that she couldn't make Fridays, but since I didn't know why I'd braced myself for a long wait until she returned home. But when I saw her car parked in front of her door, my anger had taken over.

"Track was cancelled," She said, pointing at the rain, that was soaking through my clothes, "Your turn."

"I need to talk to you."

She didn't budge, crossing her arms over her chest, "Talk."

Realizing that she wasn't going to let me in, I breathed in and started talking, "Look, I know that you think I didn't show up yesterday, but I did," She looked like she was about to shut the door in my face, but I placed my foot in the corner of the entrance, "Please hear me out," She relaxed and let me continue, "I did, and Angel opened the door," Realization suddenly dawned upon her, and all anger seeped out of her, "She told me you'd gone out for a run so I gave her my number for her to give to you. But she obviously didn't."

Her mouth was ever so slightly agape, as she took in my explanation. Then her expression softened and she moved, letting me in.

"I'll go get you a towel."

* * *

Max

I can't believe how stupid I've been. If only I'd listened to Fang instead of just assuming everything just like I usually do. I always tended to overthink, and I'd always let the thoughts crowd in my head and make the situation so much worse than it actually was.

I sighed as I handed him a towel and sat on my bed. I smiled at him as he rubbed the white towel in his dark hair, making it messy. Then, suddenly, he threw the towel on my bed, right next to where I was sitting, and grabbed the hem of his soaked shirt and pulled it over his head, exposing his toned upper body.

I noticed that my mouth was slightly agape as I watched him grab the towel and dry himself. Mortified, I closed it and felt the blush spreading on my cheeks. I hadn't expected him to look so... _hot_. I mean, I knew he wasn't a couch potato, but a six pack? I tried everything to avoid him, and looked at everything in my room apart from him. He chuckled, noticing my obvious discomfort, and my blush deepened.

"Could I please borrow a t-shirt?" I could actually hear the grin in his voice.

Without looking at him, I motioned him to follow me as I walked towards my parents bedroom in order to give him one of my dad's t-shirts. I stopped in front of his cupboard, a stool in hand that I had grabbed on the way. My dad was a buisness man; I rarely saw him in anything else but suits. He had a few casual clothes, but he stored them on the top shelf of his cupboard because he rarely ever wore them. I opened the cupboard, put the stool on the ground, and climbed on it. Unfortunately, there were still a few inches between me and the stacks of folded t-shirts. I stood on the tip of my toes, hoping that I wouldn't fall. Balancing dangerously atop the stool, I managed to grab one of them. But as soon as I pulled on it, the stool gave way beneath me and I fell.

I fell right into Fang's arms.

**A/N: hahaha so now I feel really bad for leaving you with a cliffhanger. I could post another chapter tonight idk? (maybe if I get ten reviews? well maybe not I'll probably update anyways because I feel guilty but tbf I wouldn't mind the reviews) hope you liked it! ~S :) p.s. sorry for any spelling mistakes I'll proofread this later. **


	8. Chapter 8: Changes

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Max

_I fell right into Fang's arms._

Without wanting to, I savored the moment, enjoying the feel of his hard chest and his strong arms around me. I nearly sighed with contentment, but managed to stop myself, thank God. I opened my eyes, which I hadn't realized were closed, to find Fang gazing at me with his beautiful dark onyx eyes. My breath caught as I saw the emotion in them, and stared right back. I looked at him and, as if I were directed by something else, moved slowly towards him, tilting my head to reach him better. He immediately responded, his lips now just a whisper away. My eyes closed just as his did, slowly, letting our other senses take over. I could feel our breaths mingling, and then his lips caressed mine ever so slightly, a feather-like touch. But then, his warmth, his embrace suddenly disappeared. My eyes jerked open, wondering what had happened. All I saw was Fang with a attentive look on his face and finger pressed against his lips, telling me to stay silent. That's when I heard the tap of high heeled shoes. Panicked, I immediately scrambled up, pulling Fang up with me. The footsteps were getting nearer as every second passed by. I just prayed that they didn't belong to my-

"Angel? Angel, is that you sweetheart?" My mother. She walked into the bedroom, a wide smile painted on her thin lips. When she saw us, she immediately stopped in her tracks, and her expression darkened instantly. I was used to her having this reaction to me. She sometimes had good days, when she would just be polite or when she would simply ignored me, but right now, I understood if she wasn't going to be at her best with me standing next to a dark haired guy with his top off.

"Oh. It's you," She sneered. I could feel Fang stiffen next to me, "Who's that?"

I tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat, "Fang, this is my mum. Mum, this is Fang. We're studying for a biology project."

My mum simply raised one eyebrow, obviously thinking that we were doing more than just studying. "Do you know where Angel is?" She asked. Of course. She always wanted Angel. Angel this, Angel that. The perfect daughter.

"Dunno," I said, but she'd already left, looking for my sister.

Fang cleared his throat next to me. I turned to him, and my blush immediately returned. I quickly grabbed the t-shirt that had fallen just as I did and handed to him, before walking back to my room.

* * *

Fang

As soon as I got home, I immediately collapsed on my bed, rerunning through what had happened this evening.

That encounter with her mother. I'd never seen Max so vulnerable. Never had I seen so fragile, so delicate. I had just wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her tight and protect her against everything: the world, people, Angel, her mum. I just wanted to hold on to her and tell her how perfect and beautiful she was, how she didn't deserve such a mother. But of course, I couldn't.

And then that kiss. It was never mentioned again, just like the "Kiss that nearly happened", once we were back in her room. I'd put on her dad's shirt and we'd simply gone back to work. But the tension between the two of us was even more palpable than ever.

Even if it had just been the barest brush, the barest caress, I could still remember the warmth of her lips ever so slightly touching mine. I could still remember how good, how right, it felt. I shivered at the thought of how a real proper kiss would feel like. And the way it seemed as if she wanted to stay in my arms forever. I could've stared at her for hours, admiring the perfect curve of her soft lips, and the way her eyelashes dusted over her cheeks.

She was perfect.

She was exactly what I needed.

* * *

I was spread on Iggy's couch whilst he was sitting next to me, remote in hand, playing a video game. Normally I would be playing with him, but right now, I felt much to distracted to do anything.

Iggy had just finished slaying the monster when he paused the game and leaned back on the sofa. He cleared his throat and started fiddling around with a bracelet he had wrapped around his wrist. A bracelet I had found out was a gift from Ella. He always played around with it when he was nervous; I don't think he even realizes when he's doing it. He turned to look at me.

"You know how the Spring Formal is coming up?" I nodded, "Yeah well,... I was thinking about asking Ella, but I'm scared that she'll say no."

I couldn't help but grin: it was about time. "Dude don't sweat it. She'll say yes. Besides, how could she possibly say no to your irresistible charm?" He laughed at that, and his anxiousness seemed to ease a little.

"Are you taking Max?"

I simply shrugged, feeling myself flush just the tiniest and tried to devoid my face of any emotion.

"I'm just warning you man, I wouldn't raise my hopes up. Josh Flynn tried asking her out to the formal last year and she straight up told him to fuck off."

I shrugged again.

Somehow my gut was telling me that she just wouldn't do that to me.

* * *

Max

We were all sitting around the dining table in silence, eating the chicken and potatoes my mum had prepared. I was cutting up one of the potatoes on my plate when Angel turned to my mum.

"Mum, I need to find a dress for the formal."

My mum smiled, "Sure. we'll go next weekend. And I'll book you an appointment at the hairdresser on the day."

"Thanks mum. You're always so nice to me." She said cheerily. The anger swelled up in me: I know she'd said it for my benefit. She liked that, ridiculing me, making me feel worse about myself.

"What about me?" I couldn't help saying. I knew that I'd sounded childish, spoilt, but I had enough of this unfairness.

My mum looked at me with a frown, but before she could say anything, Angel interjected with a sneer, "As if you have a date."

I glared right back at her, "Actually I do."

Angel scoffed at that, "Who? Did you have to pay the poor guy. I feel sorry for him, I really do." She pouted, pretending to be sad.

I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest, "Fang. And he asked me!"

Before anyone could say anything, I was already storming up the stairs towards my room.

All I could think was_ what had I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Fang

I was Monday morning and I was putting in my locker combination when I noticed Max storming towards me. She stopped right in front of me, determination written all over her face.

"Will you go to the spring formal with me?" She asked. I was shocked; I was the one that wanted to ask her and I had certainly not expected her to ask me. I could tell that she was nervous, her eyes betrayed her.

I nodded, still to confused to say anything. My response made her breathe out a slight sigh of relief. But her determination and severity immediately returned, "But you can't tell anyone that I asked you. If anyone asks, you asked me. And I only said yes after you begged for my approval."

I let out a grin at that, "I don't think that's fair."

Her unsureness returned, "Please. Angel-" I understood.

I raised a hand, "It's ok don't worry. Fine, I'll just forget any of the pride that I possess and admit that I plead Max Martinez to be my date for the formal."

A bright smile appeared on her face, "Thanks Fang. I owe you one," Just then the bell rang, "Bye."

"See you in bio."

She waved as she disappeared amongst the flood of students walking towards to class.

* * *

I walked into Calculus and took my seat next to Iggy's. I leaned towards him and whispered, "So guess who's going to the Spring Formal with none other than the Max Martinez?"

I couldn't stop the smug grin that appeared on my face as Iggy stared at me in shock and disbelief, nor did I want to.

**A/N: So yeah- I'm wasn't so sure when I was writing this? Do you like it? Could you please review with any criticism or recommendation or whatever? (btw we didn't reach ten reviews- but it's ok, I felt guilty enough to write it without them) Also there have been comments about the length of the chapters- would you rather have shorter chapters (like the ones so far) and quicker updates or longer chapters but youll have to wait longer? tell me in the reviews! Thank you:)) Night x~ S**


	9. Chapter 9: New beginnings

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Max

The next two weeks went by like a blur, and before I knew it, it was the weekend before the Formal, and I still hadn't found the perfect dress. My mum had gone with me the weekend before, but all the places we went to were ideal for Angel; I wanted something simple, nothing too glitzy or sparkly. But not something _too_ simple. And my search was difficult. This weekend I'd decided that I would go somewhere that suited me, much to my mum's understanding. Somehow, my relationship with my mother wasn't as strained as before- I mean, she still was much more at ease with Angel, and we still argued, but since I'd expressed more interest in things she could relate to, everything was just that little bit easier. She had even seemed slightly apologetic when I'd explained to her that I didn't want something similar to what Angel wanted, and that I'd preferred to keep looking on my own.

I was walking through a mall I had found not to far away from Chicago, and just walked into every shop that seemed to be selling floor-length dresses. I was browsing the dress racks of one of them when I found myself wondering about Fang.

I was still surprised at how easily he'd agreed to come with me to the formal, especially since at that point things were a bit tense between us because of that kiss that really couldn't be considered a kiss.

I was also surprised at how easily we could talk to each other. After his agreement to accompanying me to the formal, things had become so easy between us- not that they weren't before. The thing was that before, the tension between us was so thick when we worked that I could've sliced it with a knife. The tension was still there, but its presence was less noticeable. Of course, I'd catch myself staring at his lips for a split-second to long, remembering the fleeting moment we had shared, or he'd just look at me with this look so intense it was hard for me not to blush. But we had become much closer over the course of the past week: Fang had talked to me about how he moved a lot, because of his father's job, and had told me about all the places he'd been. In turn I would talk to him about my childhood, having always lived in Chicago.

Yet I still couldn't shake off the feeling I got when he'd talk about his dad- he'd always have this guarded expression every time he mentioned him, making me think that something was wrong. He was hiding something away, but I was going to give him time, hoping that one day he would trust me enough to tell me whatever was going on.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when a dress caught my eye. I ran my hand over it softly and saw that it was exactly what I'd been looking for: it was black, with a thigh-high slit. It wasn't over the top, but it was still noticeable. Just as I wanted.

* * *

Fang

I was hanging out with Iggy before we each had to go pick up our respective dates. I was nervous, yet excited about it. When I had told my mum about Max and me going to the formal together, she was over the moon. She'd explained everything to me, how to choose the right suit and what a corsage was. Now here I was, suit on, bow-tie fastened, the box with the corsage in it next to me on the couch I was sitting on. Me and Iggy had been playing video games all afternoon and I was beating his ass.

"Are you serious about Ella?" I couldn't help but ask before scoring another the winning blow.

He groaned with frustration as he lost yet another game, "Yeah. I guess we'll just see how things develop after tonight," He ran his hand through his hair, "But I really like her"

I nodded as I kept my smile to myself, knowing fully well that Iggy will be over the moon when he'll find out that Ella feels exactly the same way.

* * *

Max

I had just finished putting my make up on- clumsily I must admit, but the effort paid off- when my mum knocked on my door and walked in.

"You look stunning," she said, with a smile.

"Thanks," I replied, returning the smile. I looked at her and saw that she was wringing her hands together, a habit she had when she got nervous. "What is it?" I asked.

She looked up, and saw that a tear was forming in the corner of her eye. I was too stunned to do anything when she started explaining, "It's just that I've realised how harsh I've been with you for all of these years, putting Angel above you. It's just that after that summer, you changed so much, and I... I just didn't know how to react. You didn't want to do anything we used to do together, we never talked, and I don't know, I guess I just...-"

"Mum, it's ok," I interrupted. I could see that she was about to cry, and I wanted to make this easier for her, "To be honest, it's mostly my fault. Sure, you didn't exactly react in the best way possible, but I certainly didn't help."

And with that I walked up to her and gave her a hug. She simply put her arms around me and stroked my hair, just like she used to.

When we pulled away, a smile was painted on her face.

"Oh!," she exclaimed suddenly, "I nearly forgot!" She grinned before continuing, "A certain young man is waiting for you downstairs."

I hugged her once more, before making my way downstairs.

Before making my way to Fang.

**A/N: aAAAAh im sorry for the late update- I just had a busy weekend. All i can say is that ill continue again with the shorter but quicker updates. So idk I might just post another chapter tonight to make up for making you wait (maybe with the help of reviews? lets try 10 again?). Also I know I made max slightly occ, going out to shop and everything, but in my defense, she is going to a dance. (Also I put the link of the dress she's wearing on my profile? So check it out?) Hope you liked it ~S **


	10. Chapter 10: Corsage

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Fang

I tugged on my bowtie as I waited, my nervousness taking the better of me. I checked the box in my hand, and for about the millionth time that night, looked inside to make sure that the corsage was in it.

I heard footsteps coming behind me, and I turned around, my stomach summersaulting. My grin instantly faded as I saw who it was: Angel, with her hand on her hip, grinning at me in a way that I think was supposed to be seductive. She was wearing a really tight dress, and it did look quite nice, but it was a wonder that she could move, let alone breathe in it.

"I feel sorry for you," she said, coupled with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"What ever for?" I asked.

"Max. She paid you to take her to the dance didn't she?"

I put on a frown and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about. Why would she need to that?"

Angel scoffed at me, "Because who would want to go out with her?"

Anger seeped slowly through me, and I marched up to her, towering above her, and looked down, "Look Angel, I don't know what your deal with Max is all about, but I know for a fact that anybody would be lucky to go out with her. So now, could you please do us both a favor and just back off."

We were both staring at each other in silence, and she opened her mouth, ready for a comeback, when a voice interrupted us from behind me. I turned around, and this time, my frown disappeared instantly as I saw Max.

"Bravo," she said, grinning wickedly, "Well said," She teased before turning to Angel, "Dylan's outside waiting for you."

We both watched as Angel marched away, obviously put off.

I turned back, and that was when I properly realized that Max was standing in front of me. And that she was wearing a floor-length black dress that hugged her delicious curves perfectly from head to toe, its long slit on the side revealing one long, lean, sexy leg. I stood there, mouth slightly agape, and I know I looked like an absolute fool, but I didn't care. I was stunned, I was speechless. And there was nothing that was ever going to make me forget this moment.

My thoughts were soon interrupted by Max's mother, who came bustling into the room begging for photos. Standing next to her as her mother snapped away, I wrapped one arm around her waist, wondering what I had got myself into. And that I never wanted to get out of it.

* * *

Max

After having my mum embarrassingly take numerous pictures of us that she was most probably going to send off to every single one of our relatives, I followed Fang to his truck. As I walked besides him, I couldn't help but sneak looks at him, and marvel at how handsome he looked. His tux fit him perfectly in all the right places, showing off his perfect body and his wide, broad shoulders.

He opened the passenger door for me, but right before I could get in, he slapped his hand on his forehead.

"Shit! I completely forgot!" I watched in puzzlement as he fumbled around in his pocket, pulling out a black box. He looked up at me, his dark eyes reflecting agitation, "I'm so sorry. I wanted to make everything perfect, but of course I forgot the stupid corsage!"

I couldn't help but laugh at that- he had been worrying over the most ridiculous thing. "What must my mother think of you?" I asked teasingly.

He simply grinned in return, and moved closer, removing the corsage from its box. My laughter immediately flew away as I took in our proximity. I looked down, refusing to meet his captivating gaze. His hand slowly moved to take mine, and with the other he ever so gently slipped the corsage onto my wrist. I raised my arm to closer inspect it, and saw that on it was a small simple white orchid.

"The woman in the shop said that it meant delicate beauty. I thought it would be appropriate," he explained softly.

At his words, I felt a light blush appear on my cheeks. I looked up, meeting his obsidian eyes. "Thank you," I whispered, "I love it."

Keeping his eyes on me, Fang raised his hand and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. His hand lingered by my cheek, the heat radiating onto my blushing skin. He slowly moved closer, and his hand gently cupped my cheek. I could feel our breaths mingling and I couldn't help but let my eyelids flutter to a close.

"You know that you are beautiful, right?"

I nodded absentmindedly, not really listening to what he was saying, the only thing on my mind being what his lips would feel on mine. But then, his hand was gone, and I opened my eyes only to see him standing by the truck, holding the door open. A mischievous glint shining in his eyes, he grinned at me, "Come on, we'll be late to the dance."

With a huff of frustration, I slid into the passenger seat, and we drove off.

* * *

Fang

When we arrived to the dance, it was already in full swing. I held Max by the hand as I pulled her through the crowd, trying to find Iggy and Ella. As we walked past, some people sent us a few strange stares: it was weird to see Max hanging out with anyone, let alone a guy.

I spotted Iggy standing with Ella by the bowl of punch and made my way towards him.

"Hey!" I greeted them. Max smiled slightly at them.

"Ella, Iggy, this is Max. Max, this is Ella and Iggy," I introduced. Both Iggy and Ella smiled, but they were guarded, obviously careful around Max after the reputation she had built for herself. Quickly noticing that nothing was happening, I decided to pull Max onto the dance floor.

I started moving to the beat- I wasn't the best at dancing, but I knew the basics, when I noticed her reluctance. I pulled her closer to me, partly because it was hard to hear each other over the pounding music, and partly because it just felt so damn good to have her near me, "Let's dance," I said.

She looked around, and for once she looked just the tiniest bit vulnerable. I just wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. But of course, that just wouldn't do. I leaned close once again, "Come on, show me what you got." She glanced at me, doubt clouding her eyes, and I couldn't help but add, "I dare you."

And just like that, the challenge made the sparkle return in her eye. And just like, she moved in a way that had me mesmerized. And just like that, we were dancing together, moving together, as each song played on.

And just like that, a slow song about love started playing around us. We looked at each other, and with a glance at her face I saw that the doubt had returned, and I decided to take action. I wrapped her arms around my neck and I wrapped mine around her waist, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against mine as we swayed to the music.

**A/N: annnnd you'll have to wait to know what happens next! Thank you so much for the reviews (we reached the goal this time woo :))) ). Just so you know, if there is anything you want included in this story, eg characters or a specific plotline, then just review. Hope you like it! ~S :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Starry Night

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Max

The song played on as we swayed to it, our bodies pressed against each other, his chest against mine. I had laced my arms around his neck, and he had his wrapped around my waist, pulling me in closer. I felt myself getting lost in his dark stare, painfully aware of how close we were to each other, our breaths mingling into each other.

When something caught my attention. I could feel someone staring at me over Fang's shoulder. Curiosity pushing me, I reluctantly pulled away from Fang's gaze and tried to see what had distracted me. Unfortunately, I saw that I had left Fang's warm dark eyes to meet cool, icy, blue ones. Dylan was swaying with Angel, staring at me. I shuddered at his stare. He must have noticed, because he let a grin appear on his full lips. He had his arms wrapped around Angel, and knowing fully well that I was watching, he tilted up her chin and kissed her.

I felt a stab in my chest. A stab that I thought I had gotten rid of.

I looked away, feeling a frown etching itself my forehead.

"What's wrong?" Fang questioned, a similar frown on his brow, but one of worry.

I shook my head, and simply pulled on his hand. I led him to the car park, besides his truck. I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, and pulled him to me, and kissed him. It was forced. It was only to ebb away the pain and the anger, to remove all the frustration that was boiling inside of me. I pushed myself on the tip of my toes, angling my head so that I could get even closer, but his hands caught my arms and pulled them away. I opened my eyes, only to meet his obscure glare, his mouth set in a straight line, not betraying a single emotion.

He walked to his truck and opened the passenger door before motioning at me to climb in.

* * *

Fang

_What was that all about?_

A million questions were racing through my mind, wondering what on earth had happened. One moment, we were dancing to the slow rhythm of a love song and then Max had pulled me into a car park and was kissing me like there was no tomorrow.

And that kiss... Gosh, it was amazing, and I wanted to carry on and finish tasting her rosy lips, but I didn't want her to think that I could be an emotional punching bag that she could just use when she got a little peeved off. I wanted to stay in for the long run.

I pulled in front of her house and turned to her.

"You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to, but I'd like an explanation when you're ready," I said softly, tucking a stray strand of hair that was caressing her cheek behind her ear.

She nodded, and I could see a little tear form in the corner of her eye. And then, without realising what I was doing, I leaned in and kissed it before it could fall. And then, she turned to me, and her eyes were so broken, so desolate, that I simply stared back, and keeping my eyes open, kissed her on her soft lips, savoring the feel of them on mine. And then, I couldn't help but let my eyes close, and I couldn't help but move my hand to cradle her cheek, stroking her soft skin as our lips were pressed against each other.

And then, her arms wrapped around my neck pulling me closer, just like she had done in the parking lot. Except this time, it wasn't as forceful: it was more of a desperate gesture, more of a plea, a sign of distress. And all I wanted to do was save her, help her from whatever was haunting her. I tilted my head to move nearer to her and to make the kiss deeper. That was when I felt something damp fall on my hand. Opening my eyes, I realized that, with her eyes still closed, Max was crying. I knew that words were not going to make her feel better, so I moved and kissed the tears away as the fell down her cheeks one by one, like little raindrops sliding down your living room window. I then simply held her as her shoulder shook, holding her tightly against my chest, stroking patterns on her back as she sobbed all her emotions onto my shirt.

* * *

She had just calmed down, her eyes red, when I noticed a car park next to us. Glancing over, I saw that it was Dylan dropping off Angel. So did Max. I watched her as that closed expression clouded her face once again.

"Just drive," she mumbled, looking away.

I just turned on the engine and starting driving.

"Where do you want me to take you?" I asked her, driving aimlessly, with no idea in mind as to where is was going.

She stayed silent for a few moments, thinking, before she spoke up, "I'll tell you where to go."

And that was how I found myself driving through the dark endless night, Max telling me where and when to turn, taking me into the unknown.

* * *

She told me to pull up by a lake bank half an hour later, and hopped out of my truck. She waited until I walked up to her before taking my hand into hers, and pulled me as she walked.

We wandered in the lakeside greenery before a small patch of cleared grass appeared, just by the lake, and Max sat down, folding her legs underneath her. The stars were twinkling, reflecting in the dark waters, and the soft wind made the tall grass sway in the wind. It was beautiful.

I sat down next to her, taking in the beautiful surroundings.

"My dad used to take me here," She whispered softly.

"Used to?" I asked curiously.

She sighed, "Me and my dad aren't so close anymore."

I lay my hand atop hers, intertwining her fingers into mine, and I couldn't help but marvel at how perfectly well we fit together.

"Why not?"

Another sigh, "Something happened."

We sat there quietly, enjoying the silence, the stillness of the moment, as the night enveloped us in its darkness.

**A/N: soooo Hi. I am really sorry, and I do feel really guilty, for not updating in such a long time, especially since I know I won't have internet access for three weeks in a few days, so really I should be writing as much as I can rn. So yeah, I'm sorry! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter? ~ S**


	12. Chapter 12: The Usual

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Max

Fang drove me back home later that night, and we carried the silence from the lake along with us. When he stopped in front of my driveway, he simply turned to me, tilted my head slightly with his finger, and laid the softest kiss atop my lips. I closed my eyes, taking in his delicate smell of aftershave and sage, when the spell he had created was broken. He leaned across me and opened the passenger door for me. I glanced from the open door to him, a gentle smile on his lips. I knew it was my cue to leave, but before I did I quickly squeezed his hand and gave him a small peck on his cheek.

"Thank you Fang," I whispered quickly before making my way back to reality.

* * *

Fang

The next morning I made my way to class and sat down in my usual seat. I took out my books out of my backpack, laying them on my desk. As the bell rang, Iggy hurriedly walked in, taking place next to his usual seat next to mine. He had an unusual wistful gaze, and his hair was ever so slightly messed up. A grin crept on my face as I connected the dots.

"Someone had a good time with Ella last night," I teased.

He broke out of his distracted daze and a huge grin lit up his face, "Man, that girl is incredible. I'm taking her out tonight."

"So are you two..?" I questioned.

"...Together?" He finished for me, "Well I sure hope so."

I chuckled and clapped him on the back as the teacher walked in.

* * *

Iggy and I walked out of English lit. and made our way to lunch. As we walked out of the classroom, we both spotted Ella waiting for us alongside Nudge. I could see Iggy blushing furiously out of the corner of my eye as we approached them. Ella sauntered up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him smack on the mouth. When she let go of him, Iggy's eyes were wide in shock. Ella ignored it and grabbed his hand before pulling him towards the cafeteria.

"Come on, let's go to lunch."

Nudge and I followed the odd pair, sharing an amused glance.

* * *

When I sat down at our lunch table, I spotted Max holding a tray. She hardly ever had lunch in the cafeteria, preferring to eat her usual packed lunch outside by the school fountain, but when she did, she simply ate by herself at an empty table, and always made it clear that she was to be left alone, putting on her tough exterior. After last night, I though that she would maybe sit with me. Or so I hoped.

I gave her a small wave as she passed our table, and I knew she had seen it, because our eyes met, but she simply ignored me and made way to her lonely table. I could feel Iggy watching me as a frown formed on my brow.

_What was that all about?_

After last night, I didn't know where we were standing. But I knew for sure that we were more than just basic acquaintances, especially after she'd kissed me back. My emotions clouding any of the reason that was trying to persuade me to keep my anger at bay, I stood up and made way to where Max was now sitting.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, now facing her. She was glaring daggers at me, but I ignored her. Just like she had ignored me.

"What was that all about?" I asked, echoing my thoughts.

She took a sip from her orange juice carton before answering, "I don't know what you're talking about," she replied lightly, obviously aware of what I was referring to.

"Cut the shit Max," I retorted, my anger slowly seeping into my tone of voice. This made Max's eyes broaden very slightly; I didn't usually let my emotions control me, but when I did, it usually shocked people. "Last night, we kissed. Now, I might be wrong, but I like to think that after two people kiss, when one invites the other to eat lunch with them, the other would at least have the decency to come talk to them, not just walk ignore them and walk away."

When I finished, I noticed that Max's eyes were ablaze with anger, mirroring mine. She leaned over the table, so near that if I were to move forward ever so slightly, I could kiss her. Right here. And God, did I want to. But her voice interrupted my thoughts.

"You think I don't know what people say behind my back?" She started, "You think I don't know people keep talking about what happened in Junior year? Yeah well I do. I know they all do. And I know that your friends do to. It was written all over their little faces. Oh, there goes Max the freak. She used to be so nice, so good, and now she's just a spoilt bitch. People are scared of me, they don't know how to act around me. And I just don't know how to react to that. So I'm sorry if I couldn't sit down with you."

It was my turn to be stunned. All my anger had been blown away as she talked. I moved my hand and put it on top of hers, and I caressed her thumb with mine. I met her eyes with mine before talking.

"I didn't know," I held her hand tightly as she tried to pull away, "Wait. Please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not thinking. But you can't always hide from people. And you can't always hide away from me. I want to understand you Max, I want you to explain."

With that, I stood up and my way back to Iggy and the others.

**A/N: lala here another chapter. Thank you for all the reviews! I was thinking that maybe we could reach a 100 before I leave (come on thats only 15 reviews, you can do it)? I'm posting another chapter tonight but then I'm sorry I won't be able to update for another 3 weeks! I hope you like it ~ S**


	13. Chapter 13: New ways

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Fang

When I arrived late to Biology, Max wasn't there. She also didn't appear throughout the class, so I just continued working on our project, trying to ignore the tightening of my chest.

Near the end of the class, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Discreetly so to not attract the attention of the librarian, I took my phone out and saw that I'd received a text from Max.

_[from: Max]_

_You want me to explain? Fine I'll explain. 9, your house._

I sat there in shock, staring at my phone, a little spark of hope shining inside me.

* * *

Max

I knocked on Fang's door, just as promised. My insides were twisting and making me want to run away, but I stood firm. I was going to go through with this. It was the least I could do, and I owed it to him.

He opened the door, and my heart flipped. He looked perfect; his hair was slightly messed up, making me want to run my hands through it to mess it up even more, he was wearing a black t-shirt that showed off his lean muscles perfectly, and to top it off, he was smiling such a gentle smile that a pang of guilt shot through me. I smiled weakly at me, trying my hardest to mask any emotions that could betray my feelings in any way, and followed him up to his room. There was an odd stillness that occupied the house.

"Are your parents here?" I questioned as I sat on his bed.

He shook his head, closing the door behind him, "They've gone out for dinner."

A silence settled between us as Fang sat next to me on his bed. He kept glancing from me to his intertwined fingers.

He coughed before speaking up, "So, you wanted to explain?"

I sighed and attempted an explanation, "Well, it was junior year, um... I was quite popular? And, um..." Knowing that this was never going to work and absolutely mortified, I leant back on Fang's bed and covered my face with my hands.

I'd never told anyone what happened and I didn't know where to start. I could already feel myself doing everything wrong. As the thoughts ran through my head, I felt the bed creak under me as Fang leant back next to me. I could feel his proximity. I then felt his hands pick mine away from my face, forcing me to stare into his dark eyes. One of his hands cupped my cheek gently as he smiled gently.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I've never told anyone," I whispered. His eyes widened slightly before he removed his hand from my cheek and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He put his arms behind his head and started talking.

"I've moved around since I was a little kid. I never had any friends. I never had anyone to talk to. And then I come here, and now I have you and Iggy," A sad smile forms on his lips, "And I don't want to lose that. I really don't. But knowing my father, the moment that he'll see that I'm happy again, he'll make us move. My dad's a jerk; he treats my mum like shit, as if she were her personal slave. And the worse is that she just... she just agrees with anything he says. Do you want to know why he's like that? Why he's such a dick towards us?" He doesn't even look at me to see my answer, too cooped up in his ever-increasing anger, "Well, he thinks we owe him. Every time we do something wrong, he reminds us. That I'm not his son. That he married my mum because even though she didn't love her, he did and did for all those year she was going out with 'that guy', and he loved her enough not to want her to rot away on the streets with a newborn. That he is our saviour. That he saved us. Of course, I'm glad he helped us, otherwise we'd be dead, there is no denying that. But to think that because of it we owe it to him to be his slaves? That it allows him to treat us like crap? We tried running away once, you know? But he caught us. Those were the worst few weeks of my life."

He was shaking his head, trembling in anger as he finished. When his anger died down, his sad smile returned and he turned to me, "I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away. I've never told anyone before." He ran his fingers through his hand, a nervous stance appearing.

I lied there, next to him, in shock. I couldn't believe he'd just done that, for me. He'd just opened up completely, for me. I rolled onto my side, and couldn't help but laugh at his confused expression. I leaned in and kissed him softly. Fang immediately responded, threading his fingers through my hair and pulling me closer. He then pushed me over, so that we were now both lying on our sides. As we kissed, I felt his tongue run over my lips, begging for entrance. I granted it, letting our tongues glide over each other, battle each other. I broke the kiss, in desperate need for air. We laid there, breathing heavily, our breaths mingling, staring at each other. I leaned over, giving him a small peck on the lips.

"Thanks for that," I smiled. He simply smiled back, putting his hand on mine and stroking my thumb with his.

**A/N: SO LAST CHAPTER BEFORE I LEAVE FOR THREE WEEKS! so yeah. And just so you know, the tough exterior Max puts on is an act, you'll see why next chapter ;)(also excuse the mistakes, ill correct them when I come back) Hope you liked it! ~ S xx**


	14. Chapter 14: Untold Story

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Max

It was my turn to open up. His hand clasping mine, I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling above me.

"It all happened the summer after sophomore year. Of course, everybody knows that, but they don't know what really happened. I was popular at that time. Much more than my sister now. But I hated it. It was horrible: I always had to be careful, always had to put up appearances. And the worse thing was that I didn't only have to keep them up at school: my dad was, and still is an important man in his field of work, and he liked showing off his pristine family to the world. My mum controlled everything: my hair, my clothes, the way I behaved, who I hung out with... I didn't get to have a say in anything; I was just there for show. To be honest, in the beginning, I kind of enjoyed it, being the center of attention. But then, I grew tired of it. I wanted to do things because I wanted to them, not because I was told to. I wanted to wear my own clothes, choose my own friends. But I didn't want to disappoint my parents. And then there was Angel," I paused a little, and as if feeling my hesitation, Fang squeezed my hand, giving me confidence "Back then, she was jealous of me. My parents often left her in the dark and spent most of their time on me. I often tried to convince her that she had the better end of the deal, but she just wouldn't listen. To her, I had the perfect life: perfect boyfriend, perfect social status, perfect everything. And then one day she went for it, she went and got what she always wanted," I paused again, feeling the memories wash over me. Trying to block them away, I continued, "It was a late July evening. My friend from cheerleading was having a party, and my boyfriend and I went. What I didn't know was that Angel went as well. Anyways, we had all been drinking a bit, when I noticed that my boyfriend was missing, and I set out to look for him. I didn't know what to expect. I sure didn't expect to find him in a room fucking my sister!" Just like the anger had seeped over Fang just moments ago, it was doing the same to me. All the pent up emotions that I had kept guarded for the past two years were escaping, running away, "I lost it then. That week, I quit the cheerleading squad, cut my hair, and got new clothes. I did feel quite sorry for my parents, because they had no idea what was happening, why I was changing like that. But then again, they didn't even try to understand and just excluded me from then on. And to top it all off, Angel became the perfect child. Just like she wanted. Except she wasn't perfect. She just picked up everything I'd left behind and continued my old life. When school started again, I thought I could have a fresh start, make new friends, but I didn't expect Angel to be so ruthless. She made sure that no one would approach me, that no one would talk to me. That I'd feel like an outcast. So I pretended I didn't care. I just put up an act and made sure no one saw through it."

When I finished, Fang laid there in silence, not doing anything but holding my hand, his thumb stroking mine. I let the silence envelop us, let it take over. Only our quiet breathing stopped it from being absolute silence.

"Thank you," Fang whispered. I turned to him, and saw him propped on his elbows, his eyes turned to me.

I gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

Still holding my stare, he leaned over and gently cupped my cheek. "You're incredible."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes and was about to reply when I was interrupted by his lips. He softly pushed them against mine, and I drank in his sweet taste. I ran my tongue over his lips, eager for more. Immediately, his tongue met mine and they started dancing a slow dance, running lazily over each other. I ran my fingers through his hair, as he held me tightly at the waist, one of his hands still cupping my cheek. Still filled with insatiable need, my hands left his hair and travelled down to the hem of his t-shirt. Tentatively, I slipped them underneath it, savoring the feel of his lean muscles under my touch. As if fueled by my own need, the hand caressing my cheek left and moved to my waist, and I shivered as his hand ran up and down my waist. Nibbling his lips, I grabbed his t-shirt and lifted it up, forcing our lips to move apart. But once the top discarded, they met once again. Fang carefully pushed me onto my back and propped himself on top of me, his arms on either side of my head, holding him above me. I could feel him pressed against me, every inch of his body against mine, and ran my fingers over his back, holding tightly as our kisses turned more passionate, more frenzied by the second.

"Fang! We're home!"

We immediately sprang apart, Fang mumbling swear words under his breath as he grabbed his top and put it back on. His hair was completely tousled, and I blushed at the thought of what mine looked like. My worries vanished to the back of my mind when someone entered the room. I looked up to find Fang's dad, peering at us. A rush of anger coursed through my veins at the sight of him, but I stifled my emotions as he I felt his stare examining us.

"What are you young ones doing?" He questioned Fang.

"Studying," Fang said cooly. I watched him lift up a book he must've picked up before his dad came in. "But Max was getting ready to leave anyways. Right Max?"

I simply nodded my head, feeling the heat cover my cheeks. I didn't know Fang managed to look so poised after what just happened. The need, although now lessened, was still flowing through me, and I just wanted to run my fingers through his thick dark hair again. I got up, grabbed my bag and made my way downstairs, Fang's footsteps following me.

"I'll drive you home," he announced, although I think it was more for his dad's benefit than for mine. He grabbed his keys and held my hand in his as we made way to his truck.

We drove back to my house in silence, and he parked into my driveway without a word. He turned his truck off and turned to me. He gently took a strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear.

"Thank you for tonight. Thank you for letting me open up to you and thank you for opening up to me."

"Thank you too," I replied. A smiled painted on my lips, I kissed him softly before pulling away and walking to my house.

**A/N: And I'm back! I hope you liked this one and I'm sorry for keeping you waiting for so long! (Also yay! we made it to 100 reviews!) ~ S :)**


	15. Chapter 15: Stolen memories

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Fang

The next day, I walked into Calculus with a stupid grin plastered on my face. I sat in my usual place next to Iggy, and found him grinning widely at me.

"Looks like someone's happy," he remarked.

"You have no idea."

* * *

At lunchtime, I surveyed the room for Max. I hadn't yet seen her today, and had counted on seeing her at lunch. A whole range of emotions were bubbling inside of me: would she still feel the same way? would she have changed her mind?

My mind was racing when I saw a flash of familiar sun streaked brown hair. I turned to see Max walk to her table. I watched her sit down before standing up myself and making my way towards her. I sat down at her table, facing her. My mind couldn't help but remember what had happened last time I had sat here.

"Hi," I smiled softly at her.

"Hi," She replied, smiling back.

"How are you?" I couldn't help but ask, referring to last night.

Understanding my question, her smile widened slightly and a soft blush appeared on her cheeks, "Great."

"I'm glad," I took a deep breath, "So, I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me?"

I watched her as she glanced at the table where all my friends were, talking and laughing together. She then turned back to me, and looking straight at me, answered: "Why not?"

* * *

Max

"Guys, this is Max," I tried to smile slightly as they all turned to look at me.

_Remind me why this was a good idea again_?

Fang turned to me, a reassuring smile on his lips, "Max, this is Iggy, Ella, Nudge and Gazzy."

They all waved as their name was called. I tried to smile again; I didn't want them to think I was some kind of snob. I sat down next to Fang and suddenly felt his fingers weave through mine. He gently my hand before murmuring a "Thank you" in my ear. I simply smiled at him before eating my lunch and listening to what everybody was saying.

* * *

I found Fang in the library, writing out information from a book onto one of the computers. I sat down by the computer next to him.

"Hi"

"Hi," he smiled as he saw me. I couldn't help but notice that he'd been smiling so much more lately. I put down my bag next to me and turned back to him, to find him looking around carefully. He looked back at me, stood up and took my hand in his. He put his finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet, and tugged on my hand gently, telling me to follow him. I stood up and followed his lead. He led me through a labyrinth of bookcases, rows of books, when he stopped at the end of a row, and I noticed he had brought me to a place people rarely went to.

He turned to me, and my gaze locked with his.

"Hi," He said again, softer this time, as he moved closer, my hand still in his.

"Hi," I said back, moving closer to him.

He cupped my cheek with his free hand, "I've waited the whole day to do this."

And then we were kissing. His soft lips met mine, and they yielded underneath his. Our hot breaths were mingling, and his tongue slipped in between my lips. My arms wrapped themselves around his neck and pulled him closer, tilting my head in an attempt to deepen the kiss, and he responded doing the same. Both his hands slipped to rest on my hips, holding tightly.

After kissing for God knows how long, we moved back, both of us panting slightly. I couldn't help but laugh lightly at the situation, at the sudden turn of events. Fang joined in and rested his forehead against mine, his dark eyes staring into my brown ones and turned serious.

"So you're ok with this?" I could feel the hesitation in his voice, and there was no need to ask what_ this_ was. I nearly groaned out loud: I despised this part of relationships, the mushy talks about where the relationship was at.

I nodded, mirroring the smile on his lips, "How about you?"

He nodded, mimicking me, "I like you Max."

I couldn't help but reply, "I like you Fang. "

He grinned before tilting his head closer, his lips meeting mine once again.

* * *

Fang

"We're going to have to do some Biology at some point, you know that right?"

I chuckled at Max's words and kissed her, gently, for the hundredth time. We'd been making out for most of the period and had left our work behind, forgotten in the back of our minds, until now.

Max pulled back, and I nearly let out a moan of frustration. I looked at her to see her smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry Fang, but as much as I like you, I don't want to fail Biology."

She took my hand, and this time it was my turn to be lead, back to our seats by the computers.

**A/N: sorry, a bit of a shorter chapter :/ but basically I'm running dry on ideas (im making up this story as I go along) and I seriously need help: any suggestions welcome! Also thank you so much for all the reviews! hope you liked it ~ S :)**


	16. Chapter 16: Silently hurting

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Max

As the days passed by, I grew more comfortable with Fang's group of friends, especially with Ella. She was like the sister Angel had never been. She was genuinely a really nice person and didn't judge me that much according to my past. Sure, she was a bit cautious, but she certainly couldn't be blamed for that. All in all, I was so thankful to Fang for introducing me to these people.

We were having lunch on a chilly December day, when Iggy stood up and tapped his plastic bottle with a fork.

"Ladies and gentleman seated at this table, I would like to hold your attention for a few minutes," he cleared his throat before continuing, "As you all know, my birthday is this Saturday. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I have decided to throw a party at my humble abode, to which you are all invited."

We all laughed at his speech as he sat back down, and happily accepted the invitation.

Ella turned to me with a smile before saying, "Wanna prepare at my place?"

I nodded, too shocked to answer. I wasn't used to people being nice to me anymore, and that little question kind of warmed my heart. Just a little.

* * *

Fang

We were studying at Max's house, lying next to each other on her bed, my arm wrapped around her, as we read over our notes and made sure everything looked alright before moving on to the next stage of our project.

When I finished reading my notes and she'd finished with hers, we laid there for longer, only now I was softly playing with her hair, curling it around my finger.

"Are you going to Iggy's party?" I asked her, secretly hoping that she'd answer yes.

"Guess so," she shrugged, "Ella offered me to come and get ready at her house." I smiled at her response.

"So I'll pick you up at Ella's at eight thirty then?" I questioned, hoping for another yes.

"And who says I should go with you?" She teased back, a smile on her lips.

I looked up at the ceiling, acting casual, "Oh, you know, I just thought that your_ boyfriend_ should be the one accompanying you to a party."

I heard rather than saw the smile on her face, "Well in that case, how could I refuse?"

I turned onto my side so that I could face her and look into her eyes. I tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "Are you sure about this?"

Her gaze locked with mine, "Yeah I'm sure."

"Because if you don't want to rush into things, then I'm absolutely-"

"Fang," she gently interrupted, "I'm sure."

I smiled at her words and leaned closer until our lips met. Max instantly responded, pressing her lips against mine and wrapping her arms around my neck. As she did so, I let my arms wrap around her waist and gently push her over so that she was lying on her back and that my body was pressed against hers. My tongue slid over her lips before entering them, and our tongues met, sliding over each other in a interminable battle. I felt her hands slip under my shirt, her touch sending shivers down my back. I let my lips detach from hers and slowly made my way down to her neck, where I nibbled and kissed her soft skin. Her fingers intertwined in my hair and jerked my head up, guiding my mouth back to hers. I couldn't help but smile into the kiss, amused by her impatience. Her hands returned to the hem of my shirt and pulled it off and discarded onto her bedroom floor. Feeling the desire and the need course through my veins, I grabbed the hem of her top and did the same before our lips met once again, more passionate than ever. I pressed my body against hers, savoring the feeling of her naked skin under mine, the feel of her soft and smooth skin as my hands explored her perfect body tentatively-

A cough resounded in the room. Shocked, Max and I quickly grabbed our clothing before checking the identity of our intruder. I turned around only to find Dylan. A frown immediately appeared on my face. I quickly turned back to Max, expecting the same look etched on her face, but to my surprise, a look of horror and embarrassment was depicted on her face. My frown deepening, I turned back to Dylan. He was leaning against the doorway, a smirk on his lips.

"You might want to shut the door properly next time. You wouldn't want innocent passerby's to get blinded, now would you?" Before any of us could say anything, he closed the door behind him. However, just as he was about to shut it completely, he opened it slightly and looked straight at me, an evil glint in his eye, "Oh and Fang, a little tip between brothers: she likes it when you kiss her behind the ear." And with that he left, closing the door behind him.

Max and I laid there in shock, staring at the door. Slowly I turned back to her, and saw how vulnerable she looked. Quickly, I wrapped her into my arms and rested my head atop hers.

"It's alright Max, it's alri-"

"No it's not!" Anger and bitterness were laced in with her voice as her arms held on tighter around me, "All the time! He does this all the time!"

I kept quiet, not wanting to push her, even though my curiosity was slowly getting the better of me.

"You'd think he would've stopped after getting with Angel behind my back," she murmured against my chest.

Realization slowly dawned upon me. I wanted to smack my head against something. How stupid was I? It all made sense now.

"I've never told this to anyone either. I mean I'm pretty sure Angel knows but..." I kept quiet, silently holding her as she opened up to me, "When we started dating, he was sweet and he really did take care of me. I was just a naive freshman and I couldn't believe that the Dylan Jones, cutest guy ever, wanted to go out with me. So yeah, the first few months were great. He was my first proper boyfriend, and I felt so grown up. But then when sophomore year started, he started getting a bit pushy. We'd never gone any further than kissing, and he was getting annoyed that all his friends were getting some and he wasn't. But I would't budge: I didn't feel ready, and that's what I told him. And that's when our relationship turned for the worst. Gone was the gentle and caring Dylan I used to know, replaced by an impatient jackass. But I stayed with him, because I thought that someday, the gentle and caring Dylan I used to know would come back. And he did. It was a party, sometime in February that year, and that past week he'd been so sweet to me, giving me flowers and everything. That night, he took me back to his room and he told me he loved me. And then he practically begged me to sleep with him. Gosh, Fang, I was stupid. So stupid. He'd told me he loved me, so I agreed. I still think that that was the worst decision I've made. Ever. From then on he would keep alternating between loving Dylan and jackass Dylan, depending on whether he wanted to sleep with me or not. And then..."

"Angel," I whispered, holding her as tightly as I could without hurting her, wanting to squeeze all the bad memories out of her. She squeezed back, silent tears falling onto my shirt.

She nodded before continuing, "Since then, I don't know, it's like he's mocking me. Every time he's with Angel and I'm there, he always turns to look at me as if to say "She's everything you're not", and I just don't know how to react. I never really stood up to him after the whole summer after Sophomore fiasco and I guess that he still feels like he has this... control over me. That he has the ability to make me feel jealous of Angel. And even though I really don't and that I'm glad I got rid of him, I still feel like a weakling every time I see him, like I'm the failure."

When she finished, I softly kissed her on the forehead, wishing for all her pain to ebb away.

**A/N: well that ended on a bit of a downer... (but you got some fluff so yay!) Anyways I'd just like to thank you all so much for all your suggestions! they were so helpful and they're all going to influence the development of this story one way or another at some point ;) So thank you! and I hope you liked it ~ S :)**


	17. Chapter 17: Kickass

Chapter 17

Max

"Ouch!"

I brought my finger up to my mouth to soothe the burn. I was curling Ella's hair for the party, and I hadn't touched a curling iron for quite a long time. I was obviously out of practice.

"You ok?" she inquired, meeting my gaze in the mirror propped atop her desk. I simply nodded and took another strand of hair before wrapping it around the iron.

"So should I wear this one or this one?" A voice called from the other end of Ella's bedroom. Both our heads turned to look at Nudge, who was holding up two dresses, one white, the other black.

"White," I said before thinking. Ella nodded, agreeing. I couldn't help it: my mum had been engraining this stuff in my head since I was old enough to attend her social parties. It was expected of me to play the part and look my best, and my mum had taught me all the tips and tricks. I knew way more than I would ever need.

But sometimes, I got to use my knowledge. I knew that the white dress would suit Nudge better since it'd compliment her dark skin tone and its shape did everything to highlight her willowy figure.

"There you go," I said to Ella as I curled the last of her hair. She smiled thankfully at me, before standing up and turning to face me.

"Your turn!"

I shook my head, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to opt out of this one," I said dryly. No way was I going to let them play dress up with me; I've already had way too much experience with it.

After more insisting from Ella and a bit from Nudge, who had come out of Ella's bathroom looking incredible in that white dress, both realised I wasn't going to budge. Ella sighed in exasperation and shook her head. I tried to fight the grin that was about to breakout on my face.

"Please tell me you're not going to go like this," She gestured at my dark jeans and t-shirt. I simply shrugged and walked over to my bag and got out my favorite dress, my best friend for when my mother used to force me to attend social events. It was simple and clean, but it tucked in all the right places and it was a rich, warm red.

It was kickass, and I liked kickass.

* * *

At eight thirty the three of us heard someone ring the doorbell. Ella looked at me, grinning,

"Your hot date's here to pick you up."

I rolled my eyes, and made my way downstairs; Ella and Nudge were going to the party by themselves a bit later. I opened the front door and slipped outside, finding Fang leaning against his parked truck. He looked incredible in a pair of black jeans and an equally dark sweater. A sweater that was just tight enough to show how toned he was. I was suddenly aware of the fact that I was just standing there, staring at him openly. I felt myself stupidly blushing, but felt comforted at how he was doing the exact same thing. There he stood, looking at me, his eyes darkening as I walked towards him.

"Hey," I murmured as I stopped in front of him.

"Hey," he greeted back. He moved closer, his face now only centimeters from mine, "I'm seriously considering changing my favorite colour to red."

He was looking me with an intense glare that captivated me. My breath caught as I stared into his obsidian eyes, unable to do anything else. My breath caught even more as he moved even closer and his head bent down, letting his lips graze against the nape of my neck. I closed my eyes as shivers traveled down the length of my spine. He chuckled softly, realizing the effect he had on me. I couldn't but let my thoughts linger on why he affected me in such a way, but they were soon interrupted as his voice broke through my train of thoughts.

"You look beautiful." He whispered, pressing a soft kiss against my lips. "Not that you usually don't," he added as an afterthought. I couldn't help but smile at the compliment.

Fang

Gosh, Max looked stunning in that red dress. She wasn't one to usually wear such bold colours, but when she did… Call me crazy but I didn't want to leave her side the whole night.

"Fang?"

I turned to Max, meeting her gaze. She was smiling at me, "Come on let's dance," She grabbed my hand and led me to the middle of Iggy's living room. We weren't many, a few handful of people, and barely anybody was dancing. But Max obviously didn't care as she started dancing wildly to the beat. I laughed along with her, and I couldn't help but think about the formal, and I couldn't help but think about our first kiss. I could see that the protective outer shell that she'd built for herself was slowly crumbling apart, and I couldn't help but think that I had some part to play in that. Honestly, at this very moment I didn't really care if I had a role to play or not, I was just glad that this beautiful girl was happy and that she was mine, and that I was hers.

* * *

I climbed out of my truck and opened the passenger door to let Max out. We spent most of the night dancing, especially since after Max and I- well mostly Max, started dancing, everyone joined in. We had one hell of a night, and I knew that I'd drunk enough for me to have a pounding headache come tomorrow morning. I walked with Max up to her front door. We stopped and our gazes locked. I stepped closer, and I heard her breathing hitch. I nearly let a grin slip on my lips, stopping myself in time. I loved the effect I had on her; whether it was a gasp or a moan, I couldn't get enough of it. I couldn't get enough of her. I leant forward and brushed my lips lightly against hers, reveling in their softness. I leant further and nibbled her full lower lip as I wrapped my arms around her waist. Her hands reached upwards to cradle themselves around my neck. Choosing to let the teasing run its course, I planted soft, short kisses atop her lips, each one lasting a second longer than the one before. Each time I allowed myself more time to savour her, taste her. Suddenly, Max's grip around my neck tightened as her patience snapped. She pulled my lips to hers, forcing them into a deep passionate kiss that made me moan. She was going to be the death of me. I pulled her closer, and she arched her body into mine, nearly forcing another moan out of me. Our tongues battled an unending tango, both of us discovering each other, both wanting more.

Regretfully, I pulled back, knowing that we both had alcohol coursing through our veins, and that if we went any further I doubt I would be able to show any more restraint.

"My parents aren't home."

I stifled my groan, "Max-"

"No. No kissing," Seeing the frown etched on my brow, she insisted, "Please. Just stay with me."

I sighed, angry with myself for being so weak. Max immediately grinned at my defeat and grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs.

* * *

A few moments later, we were both laying on Max's bed, wrapped under her covers. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt teamed with a pair of pajama shorts. Her long, bare legs were tangled with mine, and her head was tucked neatly against my bare chest. I was playing with her hair, watching every strand as they slipped through my fingers.

The silence was interrupted by the softest whisper, "What are we going to do about this?" Max questioned.

"What are we going to do about what?" the confusion in my voice matched that marked on my face.

"This," Max gestured between the two of us. She cleared her throat, "Us."

"What do you mean?" my confusion grew as the seconds passed by.

"I mean when you're going to leave. When you're going to be forced to move again. Don't lie to me," she murmured, her head pressed against my chest as she tighten her hold around me, "We both know it's going to come soon enough. We both know D Day is coming."

I let the truth and reality wash over me. We lay there in silence, Max holding on to me tighter than ever, as I worried over every detail.

"I'll put it off for as long as I can. I'll try to win every single moment I can from him." It was all I had. It was the best I had. I couldn't give her a clear and net answer. And I didn't want to her to think about it when we still had time. No matter for how long, so far, we knew that we had a small sliver of it. I tipped her chin up with my finger, forcing her to look at me. The sadness in her eyes surprised me. There was a sorrow, a longing, and something else I couldn't pinpoint.

"Hey," I smiled softly at her, "Don't worry about that now. I'm sure that we still have more than a couple of weeks ahead of us. More than plenty of time for me to sneak up here and to spend all of my nights with you." I winked at the last part and grinned as she rewarded me with a smile.

We lay there in silence for a while longer, when another soft whisper interrupted the silence, "I don't want us to get too attached. I like you. A lot. But I don't want it to get any further than that. That's all I'm asking of you Fang. I don't want you to break another piece of me by getting too close to me and then leaving me behind."

I nodded absentmindedly, rubbing circle into her back to soothe her to sleep. But all the while my mind was breaking into torment from her words. Thoughts where swirling around my head, and one struck out in particular.

_It's damn well too late._

**A/N: I'M SO SOOSOSOSOSOSOS SORRY! I only have bullcrap excuses like ive been traveling around a lot, no internet etc… and now school is back on soon so I need to warn you guys that I won't be updating very often anymore. Unfortunately I think you've had a taster of what it's going to be like. So I beg you all to forgive me. Also I feel a bit off about this chapter and I think its way too OOC :S. But I hope you liked it anyways? and please review! ~ S :)**


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